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Gov. Kathy Hochul insisted Tuesday that her job governing New York would be “a lot easier” if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost the high-stakes election in the Jewish state.
The Democratic governor, who is also facing a challenge this year, said in an interview with Politico Magazine that Netanyahu’s “overreach” in response to the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack has created issues here in New York.
“I went to Israel right after Oct. 7. I saw a lot of pain there. But I actually cautioned the government there, in private conversations, not to overreach,” Hochul said.
“The world is with you when it comes to the brutal assault by a terrorist organization known as Hamas on innocent Israeli people. An overreach could change that dynamic, and that’s what’s happened.”
New York is home to the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel.
“A lot of people are anxious about antisemitism, which is sky-high right now,” she continued, adding, “And I take that personally, because I represent everyone.”
The comments came as millions of Israelis head to the polls for the first time since the terrorist attacks three years ago.
The critical election, which is a tight race between Netanyahu and ex-military chief Gadi Eisenkot, is seen as a referendum on the prime minister’s leadership since the attacks.
Hochul also claimed Netanyahu is standing in the way of a safe Palestinian state.
“We have to have leadership there that understands the security of Israel is paramount — critically important to me, but also the world — but to have a safe Palestinian state as well, which has been talked about my entire life,” Hochul said.
“I still believe that this can happen. I believe we have to get people of goodwill who can make this happen, and as long as Netanyahu is sitting there, that is not in his interest to do that. It’s just not, and it won’t happen.”